Cycle time and touch time

A way to find where a process wastes time and then speed it up safely.

Jon McNeill's framework, from The Algorithm, pp. 17 to 94.

Start and stop the clock
Measure from the customer's first hand-off to the final return, end to end.
Measure touch time
Record how long the product is actually being worked on; the gap to cycle time is the opportunity.
Redesign before speeding up
Simplify and optimise the new process first, since there is no point accelerating the old one.
Accelerate and watch it break
Push for 50 percent faster each week and fix whatever the speed exposes.

From chapter: Part I: Principles of the Algorithm, pp. 17–94

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